Photos: Wildfires in France drive 250,000 people from their homes

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 26, 2026, citing AP and Reuters, that major wildfires in southwestern France have displaced more than 250,000 people, including 55,000 additional residents ordered to leave overnight as flames moved closer to Bordeaux. Authorities in Gironde, the department that includes Bordeaux, directed evacuations in five more localities southwest of the city on Sunday.

The main Gironde fire has forced more than 220,000 people from their homes in that region alone, according to the report. Officials said strong winds overnight helped the blaze spread faster, and the prefect ordered a partial closure of a key highway running southwest from Bordeaux. The city’s mayor said the fire had reached roughly 15km from Bordeaux at its nearest point.

A separate wildfire farther south in Landes has led to another 30,000 evacuations, pushing the overall number of displaced people above 250,000. Al Jazeera’s photo report showed burned vehicles and damaged structures in Gironde, along with firefighters, local residents and aircraft working against the flames. The Gironde blaze has burned about 42,000 hectares, or 103,000 acres, making it one of France’s largest land losses from fire since World War II, according to the article.

The French government has sent 500 additional soldiers to the affected zone, raising the military deployment there to 1,500. The report also noted wider fire pressure in the region, with authorities in neighbouring Spain evacuating 70,000 people this week because of fires west of Madrid.